Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

A cross section of a pumpkin muffin studded with chopped cranberries and pecans with a Greek yogurt ribbon running through the center.

These cranberry pumpkin muffins are tall, craggy, and wonderfully moist, with warmly spiced pumpkin, bright pops of tart cranberry, and crunchy toasted pecans in every bite. A subtly sparkling crown of coarse sugar adds a little crunch, while an optional (but not really) ribbon of tangy Greek yogurt makes these hearty, healthy-ish muffins even more special. Substantial, tender, and just sweet enough!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1 10

Servings large muffins

Calories 352kcal

Author Jennifer Field

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Dry Ingredients

220 grams all-purpose flour 7.8 ounces or about 1 3/4 cups
50 grams whole wheat flour 1.8 ounces or about 6 Tablespoons
18 grams wheat germ 0.6 ounce or about 1/4 cup
1 ¾ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the Wet Ingredients

320 grams pumpkin puree 11.3 ounces or about 1⅓ cups
100 grams granulated sugar 3.6 ounces or about ½ cup
96 grams buttermilk 3.4 ounces or about 6 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon
2 large eggs
68 grams olive oil 2.4 ounces or about 5 tablespoons
62 grams honey 2.2 ounces or about 3 tablespoons
6 grams orange zest from one medium-sized orange
6 grams Morton's kosher salt 1 1/4 teaspoon. Volume will vary depending on the type of salt you use, so for accuracy, please use a scale.
7 grams pumpkin pie spice 1 Tbsp
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
140 grams toasted pecans, chopped 4.9 oz or about 1 1/4 cups
140 grams chopped cranberries, fresh or frozen 4.9 oz or about 1 1/4 cups, NOT dried cranberries

For the (Optional) Swirl

270 grams Greek yogurt 9.5 ounces or about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons
54 grams granulated sugar 1.9 ounces or about ¼ cup + 1 teaspoon
24 grams all-purpose flour 0.85 ounces or about 3 tablespoons
18 grams wheat germ 0.6 ounces or about ¼ cup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract about 4 grams
pinch kosher salt

For Garnishing and Baking

handful halved cranberries
handful chopped, untoasted pecans
2 Tbsp coarse sugar about 1/2 teaspoon per muffin

Instructions

Mis en Place

Spray the cavities of a professional muffin tin with pan spray. Set aside. (See Notes). Toast and chop pecans. Chop the cranberries. Set both aside.
Set a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 450°F / 232°C.

To Make the Batter

In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together: all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, baking powder, and baking soda.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, sugar, buttermilk, eggs, olive oil, honey, orange zest, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, and vanilla.
Scrape the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and use a spatula to fold the two together. Remember to fold and not stir, and use a minimum number of strokes. Fold until there is only a little loose flour.
Add the chopped pecans and cranberries, and fold in gently until evenly combined. Set aside.

To Make the Swirl

In a small bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt, sugar, wheat germ, flour, vanilla, and salt together until smooth.

To Assemble, Garnish, and Bake

Add about 30 grams / 2 Tbsp batter to each muffin cavity, making sure the batter covers the bottoms of the cavities completely.
Spoon a generous tablespoon or so of the swirl mixture on top of the batter, spreading it to the edges of the cavities. Use all of the yogurt mixture, dividing it as evenly as possible among the 12 muffins.
Top with a generous amount of batter, filling each cavity somewhat overfull. You should not have any muffin batter leftover.
Top each filled muffin cavity with a couple of halved cranberries, a few chopped untoasted pecans, and 1/2 teaspoon of coarse sugar, making sure to spread the sugar evenly over the tops of the muffins.
Bake at 450°F / 232°C for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375° F - 190° C, and continue baking for another 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the muffin tops are lightly browned, the tops are well set and not shiny, and the internal temperature of the muffins in the center of the pan reaches 195° - 200°F / 91° - 93° C. Rotate the muffin tin 180° if the muffins are browning unevenly. You may have to tent the muffins loosely with foil during the last five minutes of baking if they are browning faster than you'd like.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack for 10-15 minutes before using a small offset spatula to remove the muffins from the pan. Allow them to cool to warm before diving in. Cool remaining muffins completely and store in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the fridge for up to 5 days, and in the freezer for longer storage.

Notes

About the muffin tin: I use a professional muffin tin with slightly larger cavities than many standard grocery-store muffin tins. If yours has smaller cavities, you may get 14 or so muffins rather than 12. Don't overfill the cavities just to use up all the batter. You may also bake any extra batter/swirl in well-greased ramekins.
Fresh or frozen cranberries: Either works beautifully. If using frozen cranberries, chop them while still frozen and add them directly to the batter without thawing. I don't recommend dried cranberries because they lack the tart, juicy contrast that makes these muffins special.
The Greek yogurt swirl is optional: The muffins are excellent without it. If you skip the swirl, simply divide the batter among the muffin cavities and bake as directed, checking for doneness a little earlier.
Keep the swirl low: For the prettiest results, use roughly 30% of the batter beneath the yogurt mixture and 70% on top. This keeps the ribbon inside the muffin rather than having it peek out around the edges.
How to tell when they're done: The muffin tops should be well set, and a thermometer inserted into the pumpkin portion of a center muffin should read 195–200°F. Avoid measuring directly in the yogurt ribbon, which can give a misleading reading.
Let them cool before cutting: The yogurt ribbon needs a little time to finish setting as the muffins cool. Cutting into one immediately may make the filling seem softer than it will be once cooled.

Nutrition